Team owner’s hopes high for Tour de France stage win

Orica GreenEDGE cycling team owner, businessman Gerry Ryan, is confident of a breakthrough in at least one stage of this year’s Tour de France. Photo: Jesse Marlow

Jason Murphy and John Stensholt

A day after his team was accused of over optimistically "setting up” its top rider, Matt Goss, for failure in 2012, Orica GreenEDGE cycling team owner, businessman Gerry Ryan, said he was confident of a breakthrough in at least one stage of this year’s Tour de France.

Ryan said the Australian-based team is better placed than last year for the 21-stage race through France. “I’m very pleased with how the team has prepared. I think [Swiss-born] Michael Albasini has a very good chance to win a stage and we’re hopeful for a couple of the other guys, like Simon Gerrans and Simon Clarke,” he said.

Star British sprinter Mark Cavendish, of the Omega Pharma-Quick-Step team, has been tipped to win as many as seven stages, but Ryan believes his sprinter Matt Goss could beat him. “I think if we get Gossy in the right position at the end of the stage, of course he can beat Cavendish.”

Orica GreenEDGE likes to promote Goss, their top sprinter, but Scott McGrory – 2000 Olympic gold medallist – said on Thursday expectations had been raised too high for Goss in 2012, the first year he raced with the team.

He singled out team director Matt White for his statement Goss could win the Tour de France jersey for best sprinter. “Matt White made the statement before the Tour that Matt Goss was racing for the green jersey, which was a big mistake,” McGrory said.

“They put so much extra pressure on Matt. Because then every single sprint stage that he didn’t win and the chance of getting the green jersey began to fade, the expectations and pressure built. I think, unfortunately, they set Matt up to fail last year.”

McGrory was speaking at the 2013 Financial Review Corporate Cycling Challenge Tour de France dinner, held in Melbourne on Thursday night.

Orica GreenEdge does not have a rider who could end up in the Yellow Jersey of the race winner.

Cycling experts tip Team Sky’s Chris Froome to win the Tour but McGrory points out that in a three-week grand tour, much can go wrong.

BMC Racing’s Cadel Evans of Australia could have his second Tour de France victory, as long as his legs have recovered sufficiently from the Tour of Italy, which he raced in May. Team Sky’s Richie Porte may also be in with a chance. The 100th edition of the Tour starts next Saturday, June 29 in Corsica. The race begins with a 213-kilometre stage with a category-4 climb and a likely sprint finish. SBS commentator Matthew Keenan says it may have the most crashes of any stage.

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In response to a question about whether Porte could win if Froome crashed, McGrory said he could, but only if Froome crashed out early in the race. If Porte became the team leader deep into the race, he would already be “cooked” from working to support Froome, McGrory said.